A new model of the universe is the most advanced simulation of its kind, according to one of its developers, Shy Genel of the Flatiron Institute's Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA). Designed to provide fresh insights into mysteries such as the origins of magnetic fields and the distribution of heavy elements and dark matter, the IllustrisTNG is a successor to the original Illustris simulation developed by the same research team, which includes members from several research institutes and universities.

Like a certain well-known sci-fi series did back in the late 1980s, the new model appends to its original name the acronym “TNG” to stand for “the next generation.” And indeed, has been updated to include some of the physical processes that play crucial roles in the formation and evolution of galaxies.

“When we observe galaxies using a telescope, we can only measure certain quantities," Genel explains. "With the simulation, we can track all the properties for all these galaxies. And not just how the galaxy looks now, but its entire formation history." The simulation's detail and scale enable the study of how galaxies form, evolve and grow in tandem with their star-formation activity. This could offer a glimpse into what our own Milky Way galaxy might have been like when the Earth formed, and how our galaxy could change in the future.

Like the original Illustris, TNG bases its simulation around a cube-shaped universe smaller than our own — smaller, yes, but we’re talking nearly 1 billion light-years per side. This is a significant jump from the 350 million light-year dimension of four years ago. To compute one of its two main simulation runs, the researchers employed more than 24,000 processors over the course of more than two months — producing more than 500 terabytes of simulation data.

"Analyzing this huge mountain of data will keep us busy for years to come,” says principal investigator Volker Springel, of the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS). “It promises many exciting new insights into different astrophysical processes.”